Comps Gain Despite Harsh Weather

While back-to-back snowstorms in the East forced many stores to close ahead of Valentine’s Day, comps rose 1.8% during the second week of February, the Johnson Redbook reported last week.

As of the week ended Feb. 13, same-store store sales were up 1.9% compared to February last year. Month-over-month comps rose 1.6% compared to January.

While discount store shoppers concentrated on practical weather-related items such as shovels, department store shoppers were on the hunt for winter wear, according to Catlin Levis, Redbook analyst. The quest was often futile, she said, “since retailers already cleared out winter goods due to lean inventories.”

She added: “Some retailers who are fully stocked in spring merchandise will continue to miss out on the opportunity to sell cold weather merchandise.”